The Best Surprise
by where the wind blows
Summary: James took the gift and ripping the paper around peered into the box and saw…an ordinary piece of paper. "What is this?" he asked. Teddy Lupin passes on a gift he got from his godfather. Sequel to the Best Present but can stand alone. Oneshot


**Disclaimer: Nope, nadda, zip, zop, not. In other words no I own nothing. **

**A/N: so I thought of this one day when I had the urge to write a one-shot and now here it is! This is a squeal of sorts to my story **_**The Best Present **_**in which Harry gives Teddy the map. However, as far as I know this story can stand on its own… but I recommend reading the other first… Right on with the tale! **

**Okay so I am going to be honest, I am not sure what the age difference between Teddy and James is. For the sake of this story James is going to be starting his second year at Hogwarts and Teddy is just graduated. **

**Summary: James took the gift and ripping the paper around peered into the box and saw…an ordinary piece of paper. "What is this?" he asked. Teddy Lupin passes on a gift he got from his godfather. Sequel to the Best Present (can stand alone). **

**The Best Surprise**

James looked up at Teddy his eyebrows raised as the present was held out to him. Teddy always gave James the strangest presents, but they were always cool so James was happy to get them. This time however there was something about the way Teddy's eyes were shinning that made James a bit wary, Teddy was also known to be a bit of a prankster.

"Go on." Teddy said in exasperation, he had been looking forward to giving this gift to his 'brother' all day.

James finally took the gift and ripped the paper off. Looking around at the smiling faces he opened the box and saw…

An ordinary piece of paper.

"What is this?" he asked with a slight frown holding up the parchment and scrutinizing it with distaste.

Beside him he heard his father laugh and he looked up to see Teddy grinning at him.

"You will need to figure that out for yourself." Teddy said his grin growing wider and his eyes sparkling.

"B-but this is just a dirty piece of parchment." James said with horror, this had not been the present he was expecting. Beside him his father pursed his lips.

"Now, now James didn't we ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover?" Harry said using the old muggle phrase.

James, even more bewildered now said "No… I don't think so."

Harry, who could no longer keep a straight face laughed and said "Well it's true. Don't let the outside appearance fool you."

Just then his mother entered the room, she looked irritated at something one of the younger Potter's had done. But they were tucked into bed now so Mrs. Potter let herself relax. When she saw what her oldest son was holding she broke out into a huge smile.

"Oh how wonderful James!" She said looking over at Teddy with (if possible) and even bigger grin.

"But mother… it's just a wrinkled piece of parchment." James totally confused.

"Yes dear." His mother said in a patronizing tone. "Now run up to bed."

"Wait, I thought-" Began James, still totally lost as to what was going on.

"You have had a long day James," Ginny said thinking of how crazy the surprise party had been "You got to open Teddy's present and now it is time for bed."

James turned; the parchment still clutched in his hand and walked up the stairs to bewildered about his present to even argue.

Behind him he heard Teddy and his father trying not to laugh.

James' room was small with white walls that where covered in pictures and posters. In the corner of the room sat James' trunk ready to be packed for when he would leave for his second year at Hogwarts in two weeks. The room itself was a bit of a disaster. Clothes were scattered across the floor and various magazines and books added to the mix making Ginny scream whenever she entered the young boy's room.

James would often throw some clothes here and there in an attempt to clean, tonight however, all his focus was on the strange gift his god-brother had given him.

Teddy's words of 'you will need to figure that out for yourself' came back to him as he sat on his unmade bed and stared at the gift.

'Fine then'he thought 'ill figure it out_._'

James was determined to solve the mystery of the gift and tried everything.

He turned the paper this way and that, folded it, and held it up to the light and over a candle. He even banged it on the desk and jumped on it.

None of these things worked.

It was only then that James remembered he was a wizard. Spinning around James grabbed his wand from the bedside table and turned back to the obnoxious parchment resting on his bed.

There were of course laws that forbade James from performing spells outside school, however James knew that people were very lenient when it can to the Potter household and it was unlikely that the child of the boy who lived would be expelled (there were some benefits to having a famous father).

So James took out his wand, there was only one problem, he didn't know what to do.

James had already been at Hogwarts for a year, but he didn't know any spells that would prepare him for this situation.

So instead of trying to think of a spell he just wacked his wand against the parchment a few times hoping something would happen.

To his utter dismay this did not work and the paper remained as blank as ever.

"Teddy did this on purpose." James said still whacking the paper "he knew this would annoy me. Stupid bloody moron…"

Strangely this unconventional for of magic seemed to work for something happened. At first James did not notice, he was too busy being mad at his gift, but then he saw that words where being spelled out across the paper.

_Mr. Moony is offended that someone is insulting his son. _

James stopped, his wand raised ready for another whack.

_Mr. Padfoot wants to know who thinks they are better than the son of a marauder. _

James was frozen; his mind seemed to have gone blank. He had heard stories but he had never thought they were really all that true. While he sat there unable to think or move the map was writing again.

_Mr. Prongs in annoyed that it is taking so long to answer a simple questions. _

_Mr. Wormtail would once again like to ask who dares insult a marauders son. _

James unfroze, he was beaming now. "James, James Potter I-" But the map would not let him finish, more words where appearing.

_Mr. Prongs will just say that the marauders are not idiots and know that this cannot be James Potter. _

_Mr. Padfoot points out that James Potter is in fact dead. _

_Mr. Moony adds that Mr. Padfoot is tactless and deserves a whack on the head. _

"No, no!" James said with much excitement "Not James Potter, like Harry Potter's dad. James _Sirius _Potter, Harry Potter's son."

The map didn't seem to know what to say to this at first for there was a long pause. So long that James was momentarily worried he had broke it but then words appeared.

_Mr. Wormtail says congratulations Mr. Prongs, you're a grandfather. _

_Mr. Padfoot laughs because this means Prongs is old._

_Mr. Prongs denies any sentiment that he is old and is happy his son names his son after him. _

_Mr. Padfoot would like to add that he is named after me as well. _

_Yeah well he has my first name. _

_So? First names aren't that great. _

_Mr. Moony tells his idiot friend to shut up and wonders if James would like to see what this is all about. _

"Yes please! Dad told me all about the map! But I did know that it still existed! How does it work?" James asked almost jumping up and down with excitement.

_Mr. Padfoot tells James that he must swear he is up to no good. _

_Mr. Wormtail adds that he must solemnly swear. _

James was positively glowing with joy now.

_Mr. Moony would like to add that to avoid trouble one must mutter 'mischief managed'._

James was so excited that he almost made the map appear before the last words came, but he saved himself and was able to read:

_Mr. Prongs says have fun, don't do anything to awful, and that he better hold up the great James Potter legacy. _

This seemed to be all the map had to say so James, quivering with excitement spoke the words "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

James Potter practically flew down the stairs where he knew his parents and Teddy where still sitting. Panting he exclaimed "It's the map! It's the map!"

Harry and Teddy turned to face the boy who was waving the map around with such a huge grin on his face he looked ready to explode.

"A map?" questioned Teddy a grin on his face "it's just some old parchment James."

James however was not listening and as he spoke he quivered with excitement "it spoke to me dad! It was the marauders! They were all talking and all four of them were like there, writing on the paper! And then they told me how to open the map and it's like the coolest thing ever! Thank you so much Teddy! I know that your dad helped make it and that you must have used it, I can't believe you are giving it to me! This is going to be the best year at Hogwarts ever!"

As he spoke James had torn across the room and given Teddy the biggest huge ever. Teddy, laughing hugged him back.

"I take it you like it then?" he said as James blathered on about how he was going to be able to find the kitchens now and would be able to spy on people.

"Hold on their kiddo." Harry said hearing what his son was saying "I don't know about all those things."

"Yes James." Ginny said looking at her son sternly "that map is only to be used for good. Not sneaking off into secret passages or anything."

"But Dad did! And I'm sure Teddy did to!" James wined looking from his mother and back to Teddy.

"I was a very good in school." Teddy said grinning.

James frowned "Your grandmother told me about all the howlers she sent when you-"

"Alright that's enough. Now it's really time for bed James." Ginny said trying to push the boy up the stairs.

"Aw come on mom!"James said, but it was no use. Harry and Teddy got up and the family made its way up the stairs.

James was still complaining when they got to the top and Ginny was pushing him to his bedroom.

"Come on James," Teddy said "I'll show you all the cool stuff on it tomorrow."

"Fine." The boy said with a sigh looking at the map before him.

Harry laughed at his son's impatience and pulled out his wand. Reaching over his sons shoulder he pointed it at the paper and Teddy said, with a laugh and a smile "Mischief managed."

Later the map was stolen my Albus from his brothers trunk when the two were at Hogwarts. From then on the map ran between various Potters and Wesley's but it somehow always managed to make it back to the Potter household at the end of the year.

The map never broke down or stopped working, but it did grow more a more faded so that which each time whenever it was unwrapped someone would stare at the old ratted parchment in shock and say "What is this?"

And afterwards they would all agree it was the best present.

The End

**So? What did you think? Review? **


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